Stang, now the owner of Dilécta Wines, began his journey through wine at an early age. What started with family picnics in Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County, California, eventually led him to Italy, then back home to work domestically in high-end restaurants. Eventually, he would take classes at the Culinary Institute of America.

But it was a chance walk into Booker, a new winery on Anderson Road in Paso Robles, California, that led to the opportunity for which he had long wanted.

Winemaker spotlight

Stang fell for Rhone Varietals.

Syrah, grenache and mourvèdre are the wines on which he humbly honed his craft.

“When I walked into Booker, they weren’t even open yet,” Stang said. “They had an assistant winemaker, so I started in the tasting room. I started to show up on my days off. I was willing to work for free and did so. For six months, I farmed, drove the tractor and learned a lot. The farming and winemaking aspect was really beneficial. I absorbed everything I could.”

Gradually, Stang moved from the tasting room to the vineyard. He eventually became a salaried employee as assistant winemaker before he set out on his own in 2011.

He produced his first vintage at Herman Story Wines, where he continued to develop his winemaking skills.

“At Booker I met a lot of good contacts,” Stang said. “Russell P. from Herman Story was one of them. He has an interesting winemaking style. He’s not very worried about sorting fruit. They are in and out. He has 200 plastic bins lined up and all these different fermenters. How he keeps track of everything is amazing; it’s wild.

“At Booker, there are 12 guys sorting. We’d pull every stem and leaf. There would be bare grapes that look like a blueberry. In my wines, I will do some sorting at the winery. But I don’t think it makes that big of a difference. The stems add some complexity, actually.”

With just more than 200 cases made from a ton of syrah from Caliza and Alta Colina Vineyards and a ton of grenache from Live Oak Vineyards, Stang started small and began his endeavor to make small lots of wine with personal attention.

What to buy

• Dilécta, The Tiller 2011 ($52) – Olive tapenade with a huge mouth feel. There is great fruit in blackberry and raspberry notes that mingle with crushed rock on a long finish – 64 percent grenache, 34 percent syrah.